Shared Parenting in Sweden: Gender Differences in Expectations and Actual Behavior

Eva Bernhardt, Stockholm University

The gender revolution seems to be “stalled” because the growth in gender equality has been more rapid in the public sphere of work than in the home. In many countries, fathers have become more involved, while in others they have become more absent. Hence, analyzing the factors that increase father involvement is critical in understanding the issues in the “second half” of the gender revolution. The analysis will be based on Swedish survey data from 2003. A mail questionnaire was completed by about 2800 respondents, aged 22-34 years. We will run logistic regression with a dichotomous variable measuring shared parenting. Childless respondents were asked how they expected to share childcare responsibilities with their partner, while respondents with children were asked to report on actual sharing. We will analyze differences in expectations and actual behavior and examine how these differ by gender, controlling for age, partner status, education, and income.